With Switzerland’s shocking upset of World Cup favorite Spain, the trend is clearly indicating that, as is the case in many sports, it’s not always the best team that wins. Spain had outplayed the Swiss by a wide margin, but couldn’t buy a goal. Switzerland nearly made it 2-0 before the match had concluded. With some of the surprising results in the first round of games, the World Cup reminds me of the N.C.A.A. tournament, where even the bottom teams in the seeding, are capable of upsetting the highest ranked squads. The major difference of course, is that the first round games in the World Cup can end in a tie, which could never happen in college basketball. Even with a draw at the games conclusion, the 1-1 match with England and the U.S.,is still a shocking outcome, especially with the soft goal that Robert Green allowed. Although Brazil were victorious over North Korea by a 2-1 score, the fact that the game was even close is shocking, with Brazil regarded by many to be the very best team of all. The same could be said of the scoreless match between France and Uruguay, as well as the 1-1 final in the game with the 2006 winners from Italy, and Paraguay. The one thing that is a certainty, is that no one would suggest that the tournament is boring.
As a Chelsea fan, I quite enjoyed the warm welcome that was given to local hero and Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba, when he was finally substituted into the Elephants opening World Cup game with Portugal. Aside from his exceptional skill, there is another side to the fleet footed forward. While he has been fairly criticized for some temperamental outbursts with teammates or game officials, especially one after a Champions League loss to Barcelona in 2009, where Chelsea was done in by brutal refereeing, and his hostile reaction with the official led to a suspension, there is also the philanthropic Drogba. In January 2007, he was appointed by the United Nations Development Program as a Goodwill Ambassador. In late 2009, it was announced that he was donating 3 million GBP for the construction of a hospital in his hometown or Abidjan. According to Wikipedia, the work was done through his recently created “Didier Drogba Foundation”. The superb striker offered the following comment:” I decided the Foundation’s first project should be to build and fund a hospital giving people basic healthcare and a chance to stay alive.” His occasionally over the top emotions are well documented, and unfairly so, his charitable work is very rarely highlighted. While he may not be the ideal role model for good sportsmanship, he can certainly be singled out, for having a big heart for the most important part of team play. That of course being, his generosity and compassion for the less fortunate of the world.